No date set for delayed Aussie FTA deal

&quot;We have not decided when it should be completed but we are aware that
our respective offices are working hard on that,&quot; said Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi after talks with his counterpart John Howard.
<p>Howard, who is on a two-day visit, said it was important to boost economic
ties but that there should not be any pressure for a timeline on the free-trade
agreement (FTA) talks which began in April 2005.</p>
<p>&quot;I think it’s very important that these negotiations not get hung up about
a particular time. You have to do it methodically, rather than hastily put together.
An FTA hastily put together could be counterproductive,&quot; he said.</p>
<p>Annual bilateral trade between the countries amounts to some US$7.5 billion
and Malaysia is Australia’s ninth largest trade partner.</p>
<p>One of the sensitive areas in the FTA negotiations is Australia’s bid for access
to Malaysia’s government procurement market, which favours the country’s majority
ethnic Malays.</p>
<p><b>Better ties now</b></p>
<p>Malaysia’s Muslim Malays lag economically behind its ethnic Chinese community
and under a system of positive discrimination, have sole access to specific
government contracts.</p>
<p>Restrictions on Malaysian government procurement have also been flagged as
a sensitive area in ongoing trade negotiations with the United States, although
Malaysia has flatly said it will not change its policies.</p>
<p>Howard is in Malaysia to reciprocate Abdullah’s visit to Australia last year.
Ties between the two nations have warmed significantly since former premier
Mahathir Mohamad stood down three years ago.</p>
<p>&quot;I think it’s fair to say that our bilateral relationship now is as strong
as it’s ever been,&quot; Howard said at a joint press conference.</p>
<p>Mahathir, a political firebrand who often crossed swords with Canberra over
economic and political issues, had opposed accepting Australia and New Zealand
as partners in the region. – AFP